"You go help clear out the Marines. I'll hold him off a little longer," Rosen said as he and Hathaway landed on the Dawn. Hathaway nodded, slashing through waves of Marines with one strike. Enel was also finally free to move.
Thunderstorm's Wrath descended—covering even Rosen's group. If they didn't escape its range in time, everything would be erased. Fortunately, the Dawn was near the edge and could still retreat.
"Vice Admiral Garp, the enemy's ship is escaping—wait, what is that? A cloud sphere?"
"We're in its range too?! What the hell is going on?!" Marines on another approaching ship were dumbfounded. They had just begun to tighten their formation, only for the sky to start collapsing?
Were they here to capture pirates—or to die?
"There's way too much lightning in there. Didn't Sakazuki handle this attack first?" Garp's face turned grim.
He had seen many Marine warships approaching from various directions to form an encirclement—but now, they were all entering the thunderstorm's zone.
The timing of this was clearly calculated.
"No, Admiral Sakazuki went off to pursue the enemy!" the adjutant responded, pointing toward the distant battle.
The Dawn veered toward one of the groups of Marine reinforcements. It would face interception, but whether it could be stopped remained uncertain.
"Retreat! Get out of the storm and the lightning zone—move it!" a nearby Vice Admiral's expression changed dramatically.
He was commander of a nearby base, leading over 20 ships to close in on the Dawn from the opposite side. But the sudden descent of the storm had completely thrown off his strategy.
His exceptional Observation Haki told him he couldn't withstand this kind of attack. Even if he wasn't at the center, the damage would be devastating—something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Volcanic Meteor!" Akainu appeared in hot pursuit, launching a large-scale bombardment before charging in himself.
Just as he was about to land on the Dawn, Rosen intercepted him in mid-air—but the force of Akainu's punch left Rosen reeling with internal injuries.
"How long do you think you can stop me alone? None of you are getting away!" Akainu said coldly, though he could see Hathaway and Enel clearing out groups of Marines and knocking them into the sea.
Rear Admiral Baburus was struck by a lightning bolt and barely defended against it—only to be slashed and sent flying by Hathaway immediately after.
"This won't do," Garp muttered upon seeing the Marines caught under the thunderstorm. He ordered his men to bring out a massive iron ball.
As the ball—comparable in size to a warship—was brought out, Rosen and nearby Marines were stunned. How had they stored something like that onboard? Was it the ship's anchor?
"Who is that old man?" Enel asked, looking at Garp and the others only a thousand meters away, clearly puzzled.
No one responded.
Boom!
At that moment, Rosen was kicked out of the sky by Akainu, crashing hard onto the Dawn.
Akainu landed after him, standing alone against the entire Dawn Pirate Crew, completely unfazed.
MR.5, Valentine, and the others were frozen in place by his murderous aura—his presence alone made their bodies tremble instinctively.
Even Daz Bones broke out in a cold sweat.
Only Hathaway remained calm as she faced Akainu. Rosen got up from the shattered deck, coughing heavily. His face was grim—if Garp was targeting the Dawn with that iron ball, they were finished.
Just their luck—not only had they run into Admiral Akainu, but now Garp as well. If this were a game, Rosen thought, it'd be the hell difficulty level.
"Fist Bone: Black Meteor!" Garp finally revealed the full extent of his true strength—unused for years.
He stood firmly in the wind, his strong body flexing slightly. His arms coated in Armament Haki, he grabbed the iron chain attached to the massive iron ball. In an instant, the entire iron ball—warship-sized—was also coated in Haki.
Then, with a mighty swing, Garp hurled the iron ball into the air, spinning it into a giant arc. Sonic booms rang out across the sea—like a black sphere of death slicing through the sky.
"What the hell?! Are you kidding?!" a crew member cried, stunned. Was this even human strength? It was like swinging an entire warship—no, worse, since it was made of solid iron.
"Monster old man?!" Enel was dumbfounded too.
"That's Garp's ship... but what is that iron ball? Can a human really swing something like that?"
Even the Marines were shocked—watching one of their own perform such a feat was terrifying.
In a battle like this, they felt like tiny boats in a storm. First, a massive thunder orb fell from the sky. Now, someone was swinging a weapon larger than a giant could handle.
Boom!
Like the sonic blast of a supersonic bomber, the Haki-coated iron ball hurtled through the air straight toward the Thunderstorm.
Boom!
Mid-flight, the iron ball aligned with the Ark's position and smashed through.
Enel's face changed drastically—he lightning-transformed, trying to intercept the ball. But the moment he got close—boom! He was too slow.
The Ark shattered, and Enel was struck by the underside of the iron ball.
He hadn't expected it to be coated in a strange power that could touch his elemental form—not when he had been focused on saving the Ark.
"Damn it!" Blood spurted from Enel's body as he cried out in fury, nearly losing consciousness. He dropped straight from the sky.
Rosen looked on grimly. That iron ball was far more powerful than he remembered.
He didn't blame Enel—after all, the Ark was his pride and joy. If he had stopped it, it might've turned the battle in their favor.
Thunderstorm's Wrath might not have been enough to restrain Akainu, but Garp probably wouldn't let reinforcements be destroyed by it. Sadly, Enel couldn't stop it.
Just brushing against the bottom of the massive iron ball had nearly killed him.
Boom! The iron ball crashed into the storm cloud, creating a massive crater in Thunderstorm's Wrath. Lightning erupted everywhere, shattering the cloud with overwhelming force.
Crack! Boom!
The thundercloud exploded in a deafening blast. Though shattered, the gathered lightning didn't vanish. Instead, it scattered like a meteor shower across the sea.
Several Marine ships were struck—crippling their ability to move—but casualties were minimal.
(End of Chapter)